Electronic Innovation Will Drive Medical Design

Most of us are only vaguely aware of it, but there's a mini revolution taking place in the medical device industry that's going to change the way we monitor our health in the coming decade.

Even today, wearable pods are dispatching insulin to diabetics, body patches are performing electrocardiograms, and activity monitors are watching the calories we burn. But in the next few years, the number and capabilities of such devices is set to skyrocket. "There's going to be a lot of new wearable devices coming out in the next five years," David Niewolny, healthcare business development manager for Freescale Semiconductor, told Design News. "And it's going to be driven by what we can do from a semiconductor standpoint to make these devices disposable and less costly."

A case in point is the OmniPod from Insulet Corp. The OmniPod is a tubeless, wearable pump that attaches to the skin of a diabetic patient and automatically delivers insulin through a canula. The device, which employs a patch and a PDA-type monitor, was revolutionary when it hit the market in 2005, but now it's gotten 35 percent smaller. Part count has been reduced from 40 to 22. Battery count has dropped from four to three. Its new microcontroller (MCU) chip now incorporates the field effect transistors, watchdog timer, analog comparator, and RF components.

Moreover, OmniPod's eight-bit Freescale MCU now burns less current than the previous MCU. And because it needs one less lithium-ion coin cell, cost has dropped. "One of the biggest expenses ends up being the batteries," Niewolny told us. "Eliminating even one battery can take a big chunk out of your BOM (bill of material) costs. And when you're trying to create a disposable design, that's huge."

The benefits of the OmniPod will serve as a foundation for other wearable devices, Niewolny said. "You have this small, discreet patch that you can wear for a period of time and when you're done with it, you can throw it away. You don't have a contamination risk. There are no hazards. And when you throw it away after a few days, you use another one," he said.

The same characteristics will apply to heart management devices. Holter monitors, which are about the size of a 1995 Palm handheld and must be taped to a patient's abdomen, are now being replaced by devices such as the Zio Patch from iRhythm, which are much smaller but can monitor the heart effectively. Other electronics companies, such as Texas Instruments and Analog Devices, are working on analog front ends that might one day place electrocardiogram capabilities in a patch the size of a Band-Aid. Such systems are possible, engineers say, with the continued development of flexible printed circuit board technologies and application-specific integrated circuits.

Similarly, new wearable devices are tracking activity and food intake. Jawbone, Fitbit, and Nike create such devices for fitness-oriented consumers, but the same technology can also be used to help the obese deal with illnesses that could be curbed by careful control of diet and exercise.

The key is to create an electronic foundation for such products, Niewolny said. "By integrating all those external components, you're making a smaller, more discreet solution, and you're lowering the power consumption," he told us.

The bottom line is that small size, low cost, and simple disposability matter to consumers who might potentially adopt such technology. "There are diseases that need to be actively managed, and right now they are not managed because it's not easy and convenient," Niewolny said. "But with the right technology and the right price point, all of that changes."

Good question, Nancy. Some of today's semi-permanent solutions -- such as Holter monitors -- must be returned to the doctor and "refurbished" before the doctor can pass it along to the next user. Refurbishing can cost $30 to $40. Makers of the new systems want to bring the cost of the device down to about $10, so that it makes more sense to toss it after it's been used than to refurbish it. Also, the fact that it's disposable (and waterproof) means that users can wear it in the shower and at the gym. They can perspire on it and not worry as much about damaging it, or passing it along to the next user.

All of this is absolutely wonderful, but I am a bit puzzled on the throw-away aspect that is being emphasized, "'And when you throw it away after a few days, you use another one,' he said." It seems to me that we would want to develop products that lasted, rather than having to buy another one. If it's a matter of personal hygeine, it would be understandable but being able to wear something a few days implies otherwise - and if that was the case than accessories could be developed so that the main expense of the device itself could have increased longevity. Some applications make sense (disposable contacts) but if one had to wear a medical device I would think it would be much more cost-effective for the consumer to have one that lasted awhile. But then, I feel the same way about printers and appliances...

That is also a great idea, rpl3000. That way athletes could know when they need to recharge even before the critical point of when their muscles and energy starts to fail. Perhaps these types of devices could be a natural way to boost performance rather than performance-enhancing drugs!

Exactly, naperlou. I think electronics innovations will go a long way to driving down the cost of these devices, not to mention make them easier to administer to use as well as more comfortable for patients. The promise of non-invasive internal treatment through transient electronics, which I wrote about, is especially exciting. Of course, it will take time for all of these things to be commercialized.

Elizabeth, I have seen some of those articles. It is a fascinating field. I was first introduced to it a couple of years ago at a lecture by Marty Cooper, who led the handheld cell phone team at Motorola. He is in his late 80s, and talks about these medical patch devices in the context of how commuications will revolutionize medicine. He typically shows a couple prototype decices at his lectures.

Now we are seeing this type of innovation become a commercial reality. My belief is that, if we are to lower the cost of medical care and increase its effectiveness, we need to apply technology to it.

Great article, Charles. I also have written about some of the innovations in electronics that are changing the medical industry--stories on electronics that dissolve inside the body and pacemakers that run on the energy of a human heartbeat. I agree that this is definitely one of the forces behind the changes and advances in the medical device industry. It's quite exciting.

Earlier this year paralyzed IndyCar drive Sam Schmidt did the seemingly impossible -- opening the qualifying rounds at Indy by driving a modified Corvette C7 Stingray around the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

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